A KEY member of a ruthless slavery gang that trafficked “desperate” victims to Bradford and “dehumanised” them has seen his prison sentence almost doubled.

David Zielinski, 24, was jailed for four years after being found guilty of two offences of trafficking under the 2015 Modern Slavery Act and a charge of conspiracy to require another person to perform compulsory labour following a trial at Bradford Crown Court in March.

He was labelled by Judge Jonathan Rose as “an able and willing lieutenant” for the family firm ‘Zielinski and Sons’, which trawled the streets of their native Poland to find poor and desperate people to exploit in the UK.

The jury heard that Zielinski’s victims were left languishing in crowded and unfurnished accommodation in Bradford and scavenging on the city’s streets.

The heating was turned off at addresses in Leeds Road, Thornbury, and Lower Rushton Road and Nottingham Street, Bradford, and food was said to be scarce.

Solicitor General Robert Buckland QC argued that the punishment given to Zielinski, of Enfield, North London, should have been much tougher, and three judges sitting at London’s Appeal Court today agreed, upping his jail term to seven years.

The court heard that the gang’s victims were put to work in regular jobs, including at a recycling plant and factory in Bradford, but had most of their wages taken from them.

One was “severely beaten” when he became ill and lost his job, and another described the living conditions as like a “labour camp from World War Two”.

He said he was “beaten so badly his nose was fractured” and warned he would be killed if he spoke to police.

Mr Buckland told the court: “A sentence of four years failed adequately to reflect the gravity of these offences”, adding that the victims were “desperate, unemployed or homeless”, and had been “dehumanised and treated as commodities”.

In mitigation, Gareth Underhill said Zielinski, a father-of-two, was serving his “first taste” of prison in a foreign country with English not his first language.

Lord Justice Davis paid tribute to the “thoroughness and clarity” of the Crown Court judge’s sentencing remarks, but added: “We are in no doubt that a sentence of four years' imprisonment for the totality of this offending was much too low and should be significantly increased to reflect the gravity of all that occurred.”

Speaking after the extended sentence was passed, Neil Wain from the anti-slavery charity Hope for Justice, which has a regional hub in Bradford, said: “If we are to bring an end to modern slavery, it’s vital that we as a country send a message to traffickers that they will be identified, prosecuted, and jailed.

“We have supported the victims in this case and hundreds of others across the country, and the psychological abuse and control they endure is terrible to see.

“We welcome the decision of the Appeal Court – the sentence must reflect the misery of the victims who have been so badly exploited.”